1. The importance of good diet in terms of mental wellbeing
You may have heard that ‘you are what you eat’ – you may not be aware that you can also ‘feel as you eat’. Poor eating habits can leave you feeling a little flat, sluggish, jittery, irritable, unhappy with your body or out of control and anxious.
There are two parts to improving mental wellbeing through your nutrition – what you eat and how you eat.
Making adjustments to each part, even small changes, can bring benefits.
What to eat?
You may know about healthy eating – getting your five fruits and vegetable portions each day, keeping sugar, salt and fats low and choosing high fibre foods. The healthier choices generally will keep you feeling fuller for longer and supply a range of nutrients to keep your body healthy.
Of course, we all want to eat the ‘unhealthy foods’ now and again, and this is fine as long as most days, the healthier choices are the usual choices.
Have you thought about ‘how’ you eat?
Keep it regular! The body and the mind work best with regular meals and snacks. Having a routine is important and can help to structure your eating; you may find that your mood and energy levels are more stable using this approach.
Feed the brain. Decide at which times you will have your meals and plan your snacks between. If you become hungry you can feel irritable and sleepy, as blood sugar drops, so you may want to carry a snack with you, like a banana or a small cereal bar, and hunger pangs will not catch you unawares.
Be prepared. Keep your store cupboard stocked; having a few quick and healthy meals and snacks at your finger tips means that you have something good to eat, even when you do not feel much like cooking or you are pressed for time.
Fast healthy foods include scrambled or poached eggs on toast, pasta with tinned or bottled tomato sauce and a small amount of grated cheese, micro waved jacket potato and tinned tuna in brine and low calorie mayonnaise or baked beans, a toasted sandwich or unbuttered chapatti and dhal.
Slow down. Eating slowly and chewing your food well will help to get the maximum nutrition from foods and you may find that you eat less. It may also help to have a drink with your meal such as water or low calorie squash, or a thin soup to fill you up, if you are watching your weight.
Stay calm. If you have trouble sleeping, a low calorie milky drink just before bed may help. Another tip is to switch to decaffeinated drinks and you may find that you are feeling more relaxed and calm.
Enjoy your eating. Where possible, find somewhere pleasant to eat. You could go for a regular walk, maybe take a friend and a healthy picnic or lay the table to make it an occasion to be enjoyed!
Keep hydrated. If you are watching your weight, you may wish to select the low calorie ‘diet’ or sugar free drinks. Water is a good choice for most of us, beneficial for concentration, co-ordination and keeping the bowels working. Aim for around 8-10 cups a day, more if you are exercising.
2. The importance of good physical healthcare in terms of mental wellbeing.
Staying physically well is especially important if you also have mental health needs because you may be more at risk of developing certain conditions, such as excess body fat (overweight and obesity), diabetes and heart disease.
Maintaining a healthy body can mean looking and feeling good, as well as paving the way for a long and healthy life.
Most of us do not start life with physical illnesses. Some lifestyles and habits can slowly reduce your health, increasing your weight, affecting your looks and general health. Ultimately this can lead to long term conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Being overweight may lead to an increase in accidents, wear on the joints and certain cancers.
Other conditions that can creep up on you are poorly functioning bowels; tooth and gum disease; poor condition of hair, skin and nails; foot conditions such as fungal infections or excess weight gain leading to discomfort walking felt in your feet, knees legs or back, breathing difficulties.
It may be more difficult to attend to your physical health when mental health seems more pressing. However, it is important to pay regular attention to your physical well being to keep your body healthy. This will also help your mental health – so it is a double win!
There are a few powerful but simple actions that you can add into your daily routine to protect and optimise your physical health.
Boost energy – by being more active - such as using stairs, walk not ride, ditch the TV remote. Small regular changes can make a big difference to your waistline, improve your posture, keep your heart strong, improve breathing, make you steadier on your feet, and raise energy levels. You may also find that you sleep better!
Freshen-up inside and out – make sure that you get at least your 5 a day portions of fruits and vegetables to keep the immune system fighting colds, flu and skin infections. By keeping active and ensuring that you drink enough, will encourage your bowels to keep moving. Using water or sugar free drinks will help protect your teeth and gums, promoting a dazzling smile.
Build a healthy body - eat what your body needs – choosing the right foods and drinks will help to prevent you from getting too heavy, which can lead to diabetes and heart disease. By planning ahead and eating what is good for you can keep you healthy and getting the most out of life.
- Generally aim for 3 meals a day
- Have healthy snacks between meals, if hungry, such as fruit or a currant bun
- Choose foods that are lower in fat and sugar
- Eat high fibre foods e.g. wholegrain products, peas, beans, fruits and vegetables
- Choose sugar free drinks
- If you are out, take a snack and a drink with you
Address problems early - make sure that you book regular check ups and routine tests with your doctor and dentist. Watch out for changes in bowel habits, vision, thirst, your voice, poor wound healing and infections, lumps and bumps, unexpected weight loss or gain.
Mention anything that is worrying you about your physical health and/or your nutrition. You may want to check that your weight is in the healthy range with a dietician or when visiting your doctor. If you have any concerns about any medicines, your doctor pharmacist will be able to advise you.
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